I read and loved Rachel Rhys’ ‘A Dangerous Crossing’ so I had high hopes for this one! Thanks to Random Things Tours for my copy of the book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
As always, opinions are entirely my own.
From the Publisher:
An isolated castle, a deadly crime. Is this real or a nightmare?
High up in the Tuscan hills in a remote castle, secrets are simmering among its
glamorous English residents:
The ailing gentleman art-dealer
His dazzling niece
Her handsome Fascist husband
Their neglected young daughter
The housekeeper who knows everything
and Connie, the English widow working for them.
There is a terrible wailing inside the walls and sinister noises at night.
Is Connie losing her grip on reality? Or does someone in the castle want her gone?
Filled with breath-taking Tuscan scenery, a sinister atmosphere and an English widow caught up in a family feud with a wandering murderer out to get her. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is a compelling tale of classic crime with an escapist setting, a 1920s background, and vivid characters trapped in a murder mystery.
My Review:
The story focuses on Connie Bowen, an English widow who – against her son’s wishes – seizes the opportunity to travel to Tuscany to be a companion for William North, an ailing man living in an art-filled castle. It’s 1927 and Fascism is on the rise in the beautiful country that Connie comes to love – and even present in the castle in the form of the handsome young Roberto who is married to Evelyn, William’s niece. Also living in the castle is Nora, Evelyn’s child by her first husband – who seems to be mainly an inconvenience to her mother now Evelyn is caught up with her new man. As the dynamic of the group shifts over the months of William’s illness, Connie is forced to confront the fact that things in the castle aren’t as they seem – and in fact are more immediately dangerous than the gathering political storm cloud.
This book exceeded all my expectations! I knew that Rhys was excellent at writing complex and interesting characters plus simmering tension, but ‘Murder under the Tuscan Sun’ proved to be even more nuanced, compelling and moving than I’d hoped.
In particular, I absolutely loved that the main character was an older woman. Connie has already faced hardships and intense grief, so the reader is completely rooting for her right from the start as she takes the job that her adult son thinks is so ill-advised. She’s so strong and worldly, even in the face of some weird and spooky happenings in the castle, and I liked that she tackled tricky situations with fortitude and courage. Life has already been tough so she isn’t going to shrink at Fascists, gold-diggers, a cantankerous charge, unpleasant social situations or the eerie music that fills the corridors of the castle at night…
Another joy within the novel is the Tuscan setting. The castle surrounded by lush Italian countryside and backed by the creepy Black Rock hill is beautifully evoked, as is the folklore surrounding the spot where local witches were killed. This all adds a gloriously vivid but sinister feel to the castle. The city of Florence is also described with such authenticity and colour that I could imagine I was walking the streets along with Connie. It made me both desperate to get my feet back on Florentine soil and astounded that Rhys wrote this book at home in lockdown rather than sitting in an Italian piazza!
Without giving away too much of the plot – a plot I thought was cleverly managed and one that kept me reading avidly – I think it’s worth noting that the novel’s title isn’t the most enlightening. Anyone coming to this expecting an Agatha Christie-style country house (Italian castle?) murder maybe isn’t getting what they thought. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed, but it’s best to come to the book without preconceptions of genre and be pleasantly surprised.
There’s so much I enjoyed about this book that I can’t even squeeze it all into a review. Those who have read the book will understand when I say that I also loved Alina’s story, the glamorous parties and the fabulous ending of the novel.
Readers of intelligent historical fiction, lovers of all things Italian and fans of immersive storytelling will love this book. It’s a beguiling mix of so many fabulous ingredients – not least the fascinating historical moment, sumptuous travel writing, a strong female lead, buckets of tension and trickery, plus a hint of the supernatural. For me, it worked perfectly and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
About the Author:
RACHEL RHYS is the pseudonym of psychological thriller writer Tammy Cohen. Her debut, Dangerous Crossing, was a bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pick and was followed by A Fatal Inheritance and Island of Secrets. Rachel’s latest novel, Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is once again superb historical suspense crime, this time with an irresistible Italian 1920s setting. She lives in North London, with her three (allegedly) grown up children and her neurotic rescue dog. Visit www.tammycohen.co.uk to find out more about her work, including her latest pyschological suspense title The Wedding Party. You can also find her on facebook or twitter as @MsTamarCohen or on Instagram as @tammycohenwriter.
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Thanks for the blog tour support x